Something new

I have recently referred to the weekly column I have written for a local online publication for the past 11 years and how I suspected that was coming to an end. 

I was correct. My last column posted August 26th. The last one I submitted, a week after that, never ran. That publication is obviously "going in a different direction" (a classic line used when an employer is letting an employee go); they simply never bothered to tell me. 

I was not paid, so I supposed there was no reason to tell me it was over, but I think it would have been the courteous thing to do. 

There was one other columnist, and he was having the same experience I was. He finally got someone to respond to him, and we learned much of the staff dedicated to this publication had been let go. He was told we could continue submitting columns but there was no commitment to running them. Uh, yeah, right. 

That made it a no-brainer for me. I was done. 

That brings me to the next chapter. I will continue to write the column, but now it will be in the form of a newsletter, using the platform Substack. I will post new material there, and subscribers will receive an email when new content is posted. 

I retained all of the emails and comments I have received from readers over the past 11 years. Earlier this week, I sent an email blast to all of those who had communicated with me, explaining my new venture on Substack and giving them the opportunity to subscribe. I've sent a couple of other smaller mass emails to others I thought might be interested, and I have received a positive response. 

I thought about combining this new gig with this blog, but I will not be doing so. The blog, which I began in 2008, has become a place where I communicate with the friends I have made here, and I enjoy it a great deal. I plan to continue the blog in its current form. 

The Substack newsletter will be a continuation of my column -- Everyman life observations, often (but not always) with some emphasis on local issues. I have described it on the welcome page as "Everyman. Life Observations. Occasional Opinions." 

Readers here, of course, are more than welcome to subscribe and I would be thrilled to have you! You may simply skip over the content that is of no interest to you. 

I totally get it if you have no interest in having another email hit your inbox, but if you would like to subscribe, simply click on the link below, or copy and paste it into your browser, and hit Subscribe when you're prompted. You'll receive an email when there is a new post. Wish me luck!  

https://bmac1018.substack.com